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Grace believed him. There seemed to be a core of integrity to Ian.
And now Ian seemed awfully willing to chat. No one would talk about the case with her. Any time she asked, they changed the subject as though worried it might tax her broken brain. “Is Matt really dead?”
Ian nodded. “Yes, Grace. He’s dead. The police found him in a bathroom. It looked like a heart attack, but we know that’s not true. The toxicology report will tell us what kind of poison was used on him. The District Attorney is pouring over Wright Temps. The Earth League has broken up, and the FBI has officially taken over the investigation. It will take them a while to sort through the mess Patrick Wright left behind. I want to assure you that you’ve been cleared of any wrongdoing. I’ve talked to both the FBI and the CIA. You’re out of this, Grace. You and Sean are free and clear.”
A knot eased in her chest. She was happy to hear that she had been declared innocent, but knowing Sean was out of the line of fire really eased her mind.
Ian was quiet for a long moment, looking over the lilies Sean had filled her room with. “I knew a woman who loved lilies. She’s gone now, too.”
There was a long silence as he stared at those flowers, and Grace knew she was seeing a piece of Ian Taggart’s soul very few people saw. He was opening himself to her. He was accepting her as his family. He turned to her, and there was a certain humbleness in his stance she had never seen before from him. “I need something from you, Grace. I know I have no right to ask.”
She wanted to ask him about the woman, but the moment had passed. “I’m listening.”
“Come to work for me.”
That wasn’t what she’d expected. “Why?”
She hadn’t even started to think about work. She really was going to need a job. She and Sean had gone over their finances the night before. He had money saved, but they would need cash to start his restaurant later on. And culinary school wasn’t cheap.
“Because I need someone to run the office.” He stared at her, waiting patiently.
She stared back. That was a bullshit answer.
He sighed. “Fine. Sean won’t talk to me. He won’t take my calls or let me anywhere near him. He won’t forgive me. You’re the only tie I have to my brother. I don’t want to lose him. I know I made mistakes, but I love him. I don’t want to lose my family.”
Now that she believed. If anyone in the world needed a strong family to ground him, it was Ian Taggart. As she was about to become a member of his family, it was an idea that deserved consideration. “What if Sean won’t let me work for you?”
She had to admit, she found the idea intriguing. And that group really needed someone to look out for them.
A small smile tugged at Ian Taggart’s face. “I think you’ll find a way. You subs always do.”
Grace grinned back. Yes. They always did.
Epilogue
Six months later
“Guacamole again?”
Adam stared at the bowl on her desk. Sean was setting up her little lunch. He had Fridays off from school, and every Friday he brought in a gourmet picnic. Every Friday, Adam showed up to mooch. He claimed that since getting gut shot, his appetite had increased threefold. Grace couldn’t tell from the cut of his suit. He was as fit as ever.
“I never argue with pregnant ladies,” Sean proclaimed, grinning as he broke out the tortilla chips. “She can’t get enough avocados. The baby is going to come out green.”
Grace plucked a chip out of her husband’s hand. She really did crave them. She wanted avocados on everything. Baby girl loved them. She let the taste flow over her tongue as she settled her hand over her expanding belly. Sean covered her hand with his and dropped a kiss on her lips. She was four and a half months pregnant. For some reason, she was just sure this one was a girl.
“Can’t pregnant ladies like cookies?” Adam snagged a chip and some dip anyway.
“I am not a pastry chef.” Sean said it like it was the worst thing a person could be. Sean had become a terrible food snob.
Grace was just happy Sean and Adam were friends again. “I’ll make some chocolate chip cookies tonight. We need some sweets. Savory boy over there would feed me protein day and night.”
Sean shrugged. “Practice makes perfect.”
Adam ambled off after enjoying a healthy portion of chips and guacamole. Grace sat back and enjoyed the view as her husband bent over to pull out the rest of her feast. Damn, he looked fine in a pair of jeans. He looked even better naked. The only thing she craved more than avocados was her Viking. She was just about to reach out and pat that hot ass when Ian walked by. He nodded at her on his way into the big corner office. He did not stop to talk to Sean, but she didn’t miss the way he looked at his brother. Ian missed him, but he wasn’t pushing.
She liked being the office manager of McKay-Taggart. She especially enjoyed going toe to toe with her brother-in-law. Sean had progressed. He was talking to Ian again. Oh, he was only using four letter words, but Grace had high hopes.
She had no intention of the baby not knowing her uncle.
“I’m going to go heat up the soup.” Sean kissed her again. He did it all the time. He always had his hands on her. “Don’t go anywhere.”
“Not a chance, baby.”
After a few minutes, she could smell the heavenly aroma of tortilla soup coming from the break room.
“Hello?”
Grace looked up. A pretty woman in a green sweater and blue jeans stared down at her. She had a mass of curly brown hair and clutched an oversized handbag in front of her. She was lovely in a very soft, feminine way. She had an hourglass figure and big green eyes. “How can I help you?”
The woman, who Grace pegged as late-twenties, early-thirties, bit her bottom lip nervously. “I need to hire a body guard. My agent recommended your firm.”
“And why do you need a bodyguard?” It wasn’t an unusual request, but it certainly wasn’t one they got from walk-ins. In fact, they almost never had walk-ins.
The woman laughed, but it was a nervous sound. Her eyes turned down sadly. “I know this is going to sound silly, but someone’s trying to kill me.”
It was a terrible thing to hear, yet Grace found herself smiling. She knew just how to play this one. “Oh, dear. We can definitely help with that. And why take one bodyguard, when you can have two?”
Sean was coming back in from the break room when she placed the call to Jake. She had a feeling about this one. Jake’s eyes widened when he came out to escort the lovely Serena Brooks to his office.
“Matchmaker,” Sean accused as he set the bowl in front of her.
His eyes were hot on her as he sat down. She knew that look. She was going to get pulled into someone’s office for a little play. Her pregnancy hadn’t slowed Sean down a bit. He still was her hungry Master. Thank God.
“You know what they say about newlyweds. They can’t stand for anyone to not be as happy as they are.”
He winked at her. “Then Adam and Jake should watch out.”
Yes. If they were anywhere near as lucky as she and Sean, they had better.
###
About Lexi Blake
Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband, three kids, and the laziest rescue dog in the world. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance that she found success. She likes to find humor in the strangest places. Lexi believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome or foursome may seem. She also writes contemporary western ménage as Sophie Oak.
Connect with Lexi online:
Facebook: Lexi Blake
Twitter: www.twitter.com/@authorlexiblake
Smashwords: www.smashwords.com/profile/view/LexiBlake
Website: www.LexiBlake.net
Also from Lexi Blake:
EROTIC ROMANCE
Masters And Mercenaries
The Dom Who Loved Me
The Men With The Golden Cuffs
&
nbsp; A Dom Is Forever
On Her Master’s Secret Service
Sanctum: A Masters and Mercenaries Novella
Coming in 2013:
Love and Let Die
Masters Of Ménage (by Shayla Black and Lexi Blake)
Their Virgin Captive
Their Virgin’s Secret
Their Virgin Concubine
Their Virgin Princess
Their Virgin Hostage
CONTEMPORARY WESTERN ROMANCE
Wild Western Nights
Leaving Camelot, Coming Soon
URBAN FANTASY
Thieves
Steal the Light, Coming August 2013
Steal the Day, Coming October 2013
Steal the Moon, Coming 2014
Steal the Sun, Coming 2014
Steal the Night, Coming 2014
The Men With the Golden Cuffs
Lexi Blake
Copyright 2012 Lexi Blake
Out Now!
A woman in danger…
Serena Brooks is a bestselling author of erotic fiction. She knows how to write a happy ending but hasn’t managed to find one of her own. Divorced and alone, she has no one to turn to when a stalker begins to threaten her life. The cops don’t believe her. Her ex-husband thinks she’s making the whole story up. She has no one left to turn to except a pair of hired bodyguards. They promise to guard her body, but no one can protect her heart.
Two men in search of love…
Adam Miles and Jacob Dean are halves of a whole. They’ve spent their entire adult lives searching for the one woman who can handle them both. Adam is the playful, indulgent lover, while Jacob is the possessive, loving Dom. When Serena comes into their lives, Adam is certain that she’s the one. But Jacob’s past comes back to haunt them all. He is suspicious of Serena’s story, and his concerns are driving a wedge between him and Adam. But when the stalker strikes, they will have to come together or lose each other forever…
* * * *
“Who is Master Storm?” a low voice asked.
She shrieked like a five-year-old girl. Jake Dean had somehow gotten into her bedroom and behind her when she wasn’t looking. “You have to stop that! God, you’re going to give me a heart attack.”
“He’s good at that. It’s one of his great life skills.” Adam leaned negligently against her doorframe. Mojo sat beside him, their enormous bodies blocking her escape route. Mojo’s tail thumped and his mouth hung open, tongue panting. At least her dog found them amusing.
They were both here in her small bedroom. It was the most straight-man attention this bedroom had gotten in years.
“Don’t sneak up on me like that.” She forced herself to look at Jake. Between the two of them it was obvious Adam would be easier to deal with. Jake was the hard-ass. She didn’t deal well with hard-asses.
A single brow arched above his model perfect face. “I didn’t sneak up. You weren’t paying attention to your surroundings. You were far too busy telling your agent to fire us.”
Adam’s face fell. “What? But we just got here. Look, sweetheart, I know the whole breaking-in thing was scary, but we did have a point. Your security system sucks. And, in our defense, we did call and ring the doorbell. We can’t do our job standing on your front porch waiting for you to finish with the dancing thing. That was adorable by the way.”
She flushed. God, she hated the fact that a part of her wanted to believe he wasn’t insulting her. His teasing tone was soft and cajoling. When he smiled, the most gorgeous dimples showed up on his face. Adam Miles was just about everything she could want in a boyfriend. He was charming and smart, and he came with a built-in alpha-male partner.
Stop right there, Serena Brooks. Your imagination is running wild. The world doesn’t work that way.
“I don’t think this is about the break-in. She said we were making fun of her.” Jake’s brows drew together in a serious expression as though he was working through a problem. “I didn’t make fun of her. I told her to stop yelling. I have excellent hearing. I can’t stand yelling.”
And he apparently thought she was dense. “You know I wasn’t talking about you.” She turned to Adam. It had really hurt coming from him. She’d expected someone like Jake to think less of her for what she wrote, but Adam had seemed more tolerant.
“What? Me? Are you serious? How did I make fun of you?” He seemed to really struggle with the idea.
“You obviously read some of the titles of my books. Look, I get that you wouldn’t read a book like that, but I won’t listen to anyone denigrate the choices I’ve made in my lifestyle. You might not understand or accept it, but I will demand that you respect it.”
Jake actually laughed. “The little sub thinks we have problems with BDSM.”
Adam’s eyes rolled. “Yeah, uhm, you do have some problems, sweetheart. How long have you been in the lifestyle? Or are you a little tourist who likes to rage against the machine?”
“I had to take off my leathers to come here. I was at a club called Sanctum.” Jake’s face had softened a bit. “Adam knows my limits. I don’t like pretty subs spouting filth at me in anger. He has a smart mouth, but he would never ridicule you. Lightning would strike.”
Adam smiled at her. “And the earth would shake. Seriously, we don’t think that way. We’re far too odd on our own. And I haven’t read any of your books, but I would like to.”
Jake’s whole body went on wary alert. “We actually need to. From what I understand, this is about your books, correct?”
She was caught between relief and a dangerous joy. She believed them. They really didn’t care. In fact, Jake seemed to be involved in the lifestyle. She didn’t know many men outside the lifestyle who would use the term leathers when talking about a pair of pants. The thought of Jacob Dean in a pair of leathers, his cut chest on display as he nodded to the floor, silently requesting that she kneel at his feet, made her heart pound. About a million questions popped into her brain, but she forced herself to keep to the questions asked.
To return to the table of contents, click here.
Bodywork
by Marie Harte
http://www.marieharte.com
Bodywork
Copyright © June 2012 by Marie Harte
Cover by TINB
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and plot points stem from the writer’s imagination. They are fictitious and not to be interpreted as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locations or organizations is entirely coincidental.
All Rights Are Reserved. None of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without express written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations used for reviews or promotion.
BODYWORK
by Marie Harte
Their first meeting could have been better. He ran into her and her hot coffee, and raced off with a burn and a snarl.
The next time Shelby Vanzant met Shane Collins, he lay naked, face down on her massage table.
Being sexually attracted to Mr. Tall, Dark and Rude hadn’t been on her agenda. She just wants him out of her clinic before he recognizes her or she says something obnoxious before jumping that sexy body. Not professional. Not at all.
But when Shelby and Shane meet again, the third time’s the charm. Shane has found his match, a sexy, intelligent woman he can’t stop thinking about. Shelby is scared, because she might grow to like this guy. The last guy she liked dumped her for someone hotter. She’s willing to take a chance—maybe—if her flamboyant mother, Shane’s macho best friend, and his Casanova of a younger brother don’t screw things up. With fate on their side, they might both have a shot at a love they’d stopped looking for.
Bodywork
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter E
ight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
About Marie Harte
An excerpt from Working Out
Chapter One
Shane Collins scrambled to find the buffed, black leather oxford to match the existing one on his left foot. Getting in at four a.m. had been hell, but waking three hours later to blaring rock music, courtesy of his uninvited younger brother who’d seen fit to sleep over, made his already sour mood worse. His head ached, his eyes burned, and he wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep.
Which he already had, before he’d remembered he had an important meeting with the Graces this morning.
Son of a bitch. He searched frantically for his missing shoe while tucking in a white pressed shirt. He searched under the bed, in the closet, even in the bathroom, for God’s sake.
Glancing at his watch for the twentieth time that morning, he ripped the shoe off his left foot and threw on a similar pair. Then he donned his sport coat. Clothes, check. Shoes, check. Now to find his briefcase. He thought he’d left it on the coffee table when he’d come home.